aristocracy

[ ar-uh-stok-ruh-see ]

noun

, plural ar·is·toc·ra·cies.

1. a class of persons holding exceptional rank and privileges, especially the hereditary nobility.
2. a government or state ruled by an aristocracy, elite, or privileged upper class.
3. government by those considered to be the best or most able people in the state.
4. a governing body composed of those considered to be the best or most able people in the state.
5. any class or group considered to be superior, as through education, ability, wealth, or social prestige.

aristocracy

/ ˌærɪˈstɒkrəsɪ /

noun

1. a privileged class of people usually of high birth; the nobility
2. such a class as the ruling body of a state
3. government by such a class
4. a state governed by such a class
5. a class of people considered to be outstanding in a sphere of activity

aristocracy

1. A privileged, primarily hereditary ruling class , or a form of government controlled by such an elite.

Notes

Traditionally, the disproportionate concentration of wealth, social status , and political influence in the aristocracy has been resented by the middle class and lower class.

Other Words From

• anti·aris·tocra·cy adjective noun plural antiaristocracies
• proar·is·tocra·cy adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of aristocracy¹

First recorded in 1555–65; from Middle French aristocratie, from Medieval Latin aristocracia, aristocratia, from Greek aristokratía “rule of the best”; equivalent to aristo- + -cracy

Word History and Origins

Origin of aristocracy¹

C16: from Late Latin aristocratia, from Greek aristokratia rule by the best-born, from aristos best; see -cracy

Example Sentences

For example, the ideas of moral and intellectual advancement that Jefferson championed in the context of a so-called natural aristocracy were reinterpreted within a framework of collective advancement for all Black Americans.

From Salon

He also characterized the antebellum North as “the mere cringing vassal of the South” and a section of the country that contained “lords” and “nobles” of its own that comprised an “aristocracy of the skin.”

From Salon

"Thomas Jefferson's idea of 'natural' aristocracy implicitly and necessarily excluded Black people, who he believed could not generate ideas 'beyond the level of plain narration.'"

From Salon

They saw these mandates as bound up in the oppressions of feudalism and what Jefferson described as "artificial aristocracy."

From Salon

Though Jefferson told George Washington, "I certainly never made a secret of my being anti-monarchical and anti-aristocratical" in a 1791 letter, Jefferson also celebrated the idea of a ruling "natural aristocracy" of virtue and talent.

From Salon

Related Words

• elite
• gentility
• gentry
• nobility
• upper class
• upper crust